Category: August 15, 2011 Issue

An international scholar has regretted the fuss created over Muslim women appearing in public without their faces covered, saying that there was nothing mandatory to this effect in the Holy Quran. Pakistan born Dr Muhammad Ul Qadri, who is renowned for his moderate and realistic views of Islam, said that adaptability to local laws and customs was one of the…

For the past three years, National has provided stable and responsible economic management. National has ensured that the economy is structurally sound and that we are better placed than many other countries to withstand any future economic shocks. We have taken strong action to get the economy growing. We have set a path back to surplus by 2014/15. Latest GDP…

Bank of India, one of the largest commercial banks of India, is scheduled to open its first branch in New Zealand shortly. The Bank has established the ‘Bank of India New Zealand Limited (BOINZ),’ as its wholly owned subsidiary with a capital base of $50 million, after the Reserve Bank of New Zealand granted it the status of a commercial…

India’s Independence Day conjures up a range of powerful emotions and memories in me. When I was very young in the 1970s, I would jump into a banged up car with my father (former New Zealand Prime Minister, the late David Lange) to attend an Independence Day celebration in New Zealand. Amongst my earliest memories are cavernous memorial halls filled…

Institutional and individual taxpayers claiming tax credit for ‘dubious donations’ made to charity would get into trouble with the Inland Revenue Department (IRD), under a new alert issued last week. An IRD Revenue Alert warned people not to claim tax credits for so-called donations that ‘are not true gift of their own money.’ Such alerts, issued by the IRD Commissioner…

The New Zealand Police has launched an innovative campaign to attract qualified young people to join its force and help in making communities safer and more secure. Although the past few years have witnessed a few people of Indian, Pakistani and Sir Lankan origin successfully becoming commissioned officers, the rise in ethnic population, especially of Sub-Continent and Chinese origin, has…

Going through the official guide of a Bus timetable, I was amused by a criterion specified for bus drivers, namely, ‘customer service with a smile.’ I could not contain my laughter since the reality of facing grumpy faces behind the wheel is almost a daily occurrence. If courtesy, responsibility and care towards passengers are essential qualities of people in this…

The groundswell of New Zealanders taking their whole mobile number to 2degrees – even the 021 or 027 bit – has reached a new high: 200,000 New Zealanders have now ported their number to 2degrees since it launched two years ago. Eric Hertz, 2degrees CEO, says it is clear that a mobile number no longer belongs to the network, it…

The sharp fall in share market prices amidst the current global financial turmoil highlights the economic uncertainty we are facing and the need for a strong plan to get New Zealand’s economy growing again. National does not have a plan. The only ideas it has come up with is to sell off our valuable community-owned assets, like power companies and…

New Zealand is at crossroads and we all have a part to play in choosing the right direction. Epsom is set to a pivotal battleground for the election on November 26. I am delighted to have been selected to contest Epsom for the Labour Party. There is a fight to be had for the future of our country and I…